In the art, various systems and methods for delivering goods to customers at remote locations are known. By way of example, published U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0035515, entitled “System And Method For Remotely Coordinating The Secure Delivery Of Goods,” describes a system that enables a customer to specify a delivery of goods while allowing a vendor
to schedule the delivery of the goods without requiring the availability of the customer. To this end, the described system and method utilizes a secure storage unit which contains a plurality of individual lockers to which goods may be delivered at the convenience of the vendor and retrieved at the convenience of the customer. Access to the interior of a locker is controlled by a server which is in communication, via an Internet or other network connection, with a mechanism that controls the opening and closing of the locker. The server controls the accessing and operation of the locker either directly or in combination with a controller associated with a locker. The controller is suitably situated in a kiosk that provides user interfaces by which customers, vendors, and/or common carriers access and utilize the locker. The kiosk may also include other vending machines and dispensing devices which are also preferably under the control of the server. A storage unit having a plurality of lockable lockers, a settling unit for settling charges for the delivery of goods, and a locker door controlling unit for controlling the opening and closing of a door provided to each of the plurality of lockers is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,456,900, entitled “Locker Type Merchandise Delivering System.”
Still further, published U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0161475, entitled “Apparatus And Method For Improved Vending Machine Inventory Maintenance,” describes providing a vending machine with a unique identifier which is used to provide a central processing center, which is connected to the vending machine via a network, with information concerning goods dispensed from the vending machine. The central processing unit utilizes the information to schedule maintenance visits to the vending machine. In particular, the information is utilized to efficiently schedule the delivery of replacement inventory to a system of vending machines. A further system for monitoring inventory of storage units, such as mailboxes, bins, and shelves, is described in published U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0052778.
While the systems described in these references generally work for their intended purpose, the described systems fail to address the need for a system and method that facilitates, documents, and controls the delivery of orders for goods from one or more centralized warehouses to a network of remote locations in a quick and reliable manner and which provides current and accurate information about the location and the status of orders and associated inventory.